Phrase guide

killer whale

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A sea mammal related to dolphins and porpoises (Orcinus orca).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blackfish, grampus, killer, orc, orca

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: killer, orca, grampus, sea wolf, Orcinus orca

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dolphin

History

Etymology

Calque or mistranslation of Spanish asesina-ballenas (“whale killer”), referring to their tendency to hunt whales. Equivalent to killer + whale.

Across languages

Translations

89 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ainu: カムイフㇺベ (kamuihumbe) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Aleut: aglux̂ — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Alutiiq: arlluk — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Arabic: حُوت قَاتِل (ḥūt qātil) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Asturian: orca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Asturian: esperlón — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Bulgarian: косатка (kosatka) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Catalan: orca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Cherokee: ᏗᏓᎯᎯ ᏓᏆ (didahihi daqua) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Chinese Cantonese: 殺人鯨 /杀人鲸 (saat3 jan4 king4) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逆戟鯨 /逆戟鲸 (nìjǐjīng) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Chinese Mandarin: 虎鯨 /虎鲸 (hǔjīng) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Chinese Mandarin: 殺人鯨 /杀人鲸 (shārénjīng) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Czech: kosatka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Danish: spækhugger — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Dutch: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Dutch: zwaardwalvis — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Esperanto: orcino — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Esperanto: orko — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Estonian: mõõkvaal — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Faroese: æðuhvalur — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Faroese: bóghvítuhvalur — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Finnish: miekkavalas — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • French: épaulard — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • French: orque — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Galician: candorca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Galician: alcandorca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • German: Schwertwal — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • German: Killerwal — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • German: Mörderwal — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • German: Speckhauer — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • German: Butzkopf — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Greek: όρκα (órka) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Greenlandic: aarluk — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Hawaiian: ʻālaluka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Hebrew: לוויתן קטלן (livyatan katlan) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Hungarian: kardszárnyú delfin — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Hungarian: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Hungarian: gyilkos bálna — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Icelandic: háhyrningur — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Icelandic: vagnhvalr — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Ido: orko — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Indonesian: paus pembunuh — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Inupiaq: aaġlu — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Italian: orca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Japanese: さかまた (sakamata) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Japanese: 鯱 (shachi) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Kazakh: косатка (kosatka) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Korean: 범고래 (beomgorae) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Lithuanian: Orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Lushootseed: qal'qaləχwič — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Māori: maki — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Māori: kākahi — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Marathi: हिंसक देवमासा (hiusak devmāsā) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Marathi: ऑर्का (ŏrkā) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Neapolitan: ncroja — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian: spekkhogger — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian: spekkhugger — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian: staurhval — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian: vagnhval — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: spekkhoggar — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: staurkval — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vagn — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Old Norse: vagna — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Old Norse: vögn — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Persian: نهنگ قاتل (nahang-e qâtel) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Polish: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Portuguese: baleia-assassina — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Portuguese: orca — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Russian: коса́тка (kosátka) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Russian: каса́тка (kasátka) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Russian: кит-уби́йца (kit-ubíjca) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Kildin-Sami: воа̄кань (vååkan’) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Northern Sami: fahkon — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Scottish Gaelic: mada-chuain — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Scottish Gaelic: cana — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Serbo-Croatian: kit ubojica — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Serbo-Croatian: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Seri: tacj queemtax — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Swedish: späckhuggare — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Tagalog: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Tamil: திமிஙகளம் (timiṅakaḷam) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Thai: วาฬเพชฌฆาต (waan-pét-chá-kâat) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Tibetan: སྟག་ཆུ་སྲིན (stag chu srin) — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Tlingit: kéet — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Turkish: katil balina — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Turkish: orka — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Vietnamese: cá voi sát thủ — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''
  • Yup'ik: arlluk — a sea mammal, ''Orcinus orca''